Purpose of the Ohio Aspire Professional Development Network (PDN)

The purpose of professional development (PD) is to enhance the skills and knowledge of our Aspire program staff in order to support student achievement and program success. Professional development can encompass learning relevant information to meet grant requirements to developing sustained classroom practice to standards implementation. PD can be in many formats: face to face, online, webcasts, teacher research, conference attendance and more. Just as classroom practice has changed significantly with technology, so have professional development opportunities. Ohio Aspire is fortunate to have a professional development system delivered through the Professional Development Network (PDN).

The PDN is comprised of Ohio State University’s CETE and Kent State University’s Ohio Literacy Resource Center (OLRC).The PDN provides an online professional development calendar containing both face-to-face and alternative delivery trainings available at http://www.ohioaspire.org . Be sure to click either the in-person PD events or alternative PD events to see the entire listing of both synchronous and asynchronous events. The PDN provides professional days and conference support throughout the year. The PDN has an online library with a variety of resources for Aspire teachers and staff to borrow.

The PDN also provides support on behalf of the state Aspire program to state and national organizations such as the Ohio Association for Adult and Continuing Education (OAACE), The Commission on Adult and Basic Education (COABE), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (Ohio and National TESOL) and Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

The Ohio Department of Higher Education program takes great pride in the extensive professional development services provided through the Professional Development Network. Begin your professional growth now.